Proverbs 16: 1, 3, and 9 (NLT)
“We can make our own plans,
but the Lord gives the right answer.
3 Commit your actions to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.
9 We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.”
These verses can be comforting and challenging at the same time. It’s comforting to know that God is in control, but I like to be in control too – and that’s where the challenge comes in.
When a family member is sick we pray and ask God to heal that person. When we lose a job, we pray and ask God to help us find another one. When we are planning vacations or buying new furniture for the house, we likely don’t pray about it at all. As we’re thinking about what kind of job or career we want, we might or might not pray about it. So often our prayers are said when we are frightened or not sure about what to do. When we think we have great plans and ideas, we don’t usually pray about it. We assume all will go well.
When I read these verses, I don’t think they say we shouldn’t make plans. The Bible tells us in Genesis that we were made in the image of God. (Genesis 1: 26 – 28) We’re certainly not God, but we do have many of His qualities or characteristics. God definitely plans – He even planned for our salvation before He created the world. God is creative as well as practical. God loves relationships. All those qualities are ones we demonstrate as we plan our days, our lives, and enjoy our families and friends.
But I do think the verses say that in all our planning, anticipation, and expectations, we should not forget that God has His plans too. I also don’t think that verse 3 means that all our plans will be successful if we just say a prayer over them. If our plans are committed to God, that means we are looking to Him for guidance. And, our lives will go best when we adjust our plans to His. So what does that mean in practice?
One thing we need to do much more is talk to God throughout our day asking Him to help us honour Him in all we do and say. The events of a day seem to take over so much, and God’s presence slips our minds way too easily. When we’re planning things we want to do, or planning big purchases, or making decisions that will affect ourselves and/or our family significantly – we need to pray about it. In those times, we need to ask God to guide our plans and the events that occur as we make steps forward in our plans. When our plans go ‘haywire’, we need to ask God to show us whether we should continue, head in another direction, or just give up.
I think that working on developing the mindset ‘I want to do what God wants’ is really important. Then we’re willing to ask God for help and advice in all of life. When our plans fall apart, we’re not frantically trying to resurrect them because we know that God has something else for us. We should be willing to say, as Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22: 42)
Our song for today is Have It All by Bethel Music.